... as in the Stras. Not as in "Resistance is Futile"
Yes it is I! Having returned from visiting our European cousins, I find myself 2 weeks behind in my preparations for christmas. It's unbelievable how quick christmas seems to have snuck up on us this year. Or should I say, snuck up on me. Today for instance, I only just finished writing out all of my cards. I'd have usually have done this days ago. If I hadn't been ahead of the game and done my christmas shopping before I left I would definately be in trouble by now.
It doesn't seem like I was away for 2 weeks either. The time just seem to have flown by. Maybe that's because we were working for 12 hours each day with a 45 minute drive between the site and the hotel (each way). I don't think I have ever worked so hard for such a long period of time. And to top it all off...
...the bloody thing still didn't work by the end of it all.
There were times when I phoned the office over the last 2 weeks and my first words were "The French shouldn't be allowed to build things". The biggest thing was they built it in the wrong place. Which is a particualr problem when the item in question weighs around 20 tonnes and has had all the ancillary equipment positioned and fitted around it . It was only 4 inches out of alignment, but that is enough to make the machine virtually useless. It took a day to move it the requeset distance..
After it had been moved there was a big hole in one side. Without going into too much detail, this hole is the equivalent of having a hole in the side of a straw when you are trying to have a drink. The French solution, was to stuff it full of heat resitant wool and bugger off.
We then had a usuable machine, which needed to be run-in for 3 days before it could be used properly. So we ran it for the requiset number of time and then when we came to use it...
... the door failed. It failed open, letting all the pent up heat (all 700 C) of it out into the room. Melting various fixtures in the process. The emergency release handle failed when we pulled it. In fact it could have been one of those TV comedy moments as the cable on the emergency release snapped leaving the handle in our hands. It took them 3 days to fix this and by that time it was time for me to leave. As far as I know the machine still isn't working.
Overall the job wasn't the best in the world and there were point's where I wasn't particulary happy during those 2 weeks. The French don't have a monopoly on silly mistakes though. I made the mistake of taking a wrong turn on the way to site one day. That doesn't seem to bad until I tell you that if I hadn't realised I would have been driving the wrong way down a German motorway!
I did manage to get into Strasbourg on one day though. It can be best described as "Very Quaint". A lot of it looks like Ye Olde England in place with whitewashed buildings with wood panelling. The Christmas decorations though were superb. The tree in the square is huge and nearly all the streets around the centre are lit up with a different set of lights.
Yes it is I! Having returned from visiting our European cousins, I find myself 2 weeks behind in my preparations for christmas. It's unbelievable how quick christmas seems to have snuck up on us this year. Or should I say, snuck up on me. Today for instance, I only just finished writing out all of my cards. I'd have usually have done this days ago. If I hadn't been ahead of the game and done my christmas shopping before I left I would definately be in trouble by now.
It doesn't seem like I was away for 2 weeks either. The time just seem to have flown by. Maybe that's because we were working for 12 hours each day with a 45 minute drive between the site and the hotel (each way). I don't think I have ever worked so hard for such a long period of time. And to top it all off...
...the bloody thing still didn't work by the end of it all.
There were times when I phoned the office over the last 2 weeks and my first words were "The French shouldn't be allowed to build things". The biggest thing was they built it in the wrong place. Which is a particualr problem when the item in question weighs around 20 tonnes and has had all the ancillary equipment positioned and fitted around it . It was only 4 inches out of alignment, but that is enough to make the machine virtually useless. It took a day to move it the requeset distance..
After it had been moved there was a big hole in one side. Without going into too much detail, this hole is the equivalent of having a hole in the side of a straw when you are trying to have a drink. The French solution, was to stuff it full of heat resitant wool and bugger off.
We then had a usuable machine, which needed to be run-in for 3 days before it could be used properly. So we ran it for the requiset number of time and then when we came to use it...
... the door failed. It failed open, letting all the pent up heat (all 700 C) of it out into the room. Melting various fixtures in the process. The emergency release handle failed when we pulled it. In fact it could have been one of those TV comedy moments as the cable on the emergency release snapped leaving the handle in our hands. It took them 3 days to fix this and by that time it was time for me to leave. As far as I know the machine still isn't working.
Overall the job wasn't the best in the world and there were point's where I wasn't particulary happy during those 2 weeks. The French don't have a monopoly on silly mistakes though. I made the mistake of taking a wrong turn on the way to site one day. That doesn't seem to bad until I tell you that if I hadn't realised I would have been driving the wrong way down a German motorway!
I did manage to get into Strasbourg on one day though. It can be best described as "Very Quaint". A lot of it looks like Ye Olde England in place with whitewashed buildings with wood panelling. The Christmas decorations though were superb. The tree in the square is huge and nearly all the streets around the centre are lit up with a different set of lights.
One street has a set of lit chandeliers strung between the shops. Each chandelier is made of real crystal as well. Those decorations muct be worth a fortune! It was packed as well when we went in. Strasbourg and the market are very popular this time of year. That was why our hotel was in Germany and we were commuting into France every morning.
I also saw a French Beaver *snigger, steady boys* which I never expected to see while emerging from a French multi-story. If you can keep yoursleves calm here it is:
The Beaver Shot!
Finally I returned home to find my heating and my hot water were off. The boiler has broken down again and guess what? Yep, you guessed it. The same part which failed last year has gone again. Looking at my records it has failed after 1 year and 5 days. The warranty on said part lasts 1 year.
I think you can guess which company received a very stongly worded email yesterday! ;-)
Merry Christmas Everyone!
